Automatic lens arranging device

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic lens arranging device which comprises a supporting bottom frame arranged at the bottom, a material distributing assembly arranged at the top of the supporting bottom frame and used for distributing materials according to the thickness of lenses, and a plurality of material arranging assemblies arranged at the discharging end of the material distributing assembly. The distributing assembly comprises a conveying belt used for conveying lenses, a discharging belt obliquely arranged on one side of the conveying belt and a plurality of groups of distributing assemblies which are arranged on the two sides of the discharging belt in a staggered mode and used for distributing, and each distributing assembly comprises an intercepting part which is in lap joint with the top of the discharging belt and used for intercepting the lenses and a distributing guide rail which extends out towards the side away from the discharging belt along the intercepting part; the four intercepting parts, in lap joint with the top of the discharging belt, of the material distributing assembly sequentially intercept the lenses, if the thickness of the intercepting part close to the leftmost side of the discharging belt is sequentially increased from the leftmost side to the rightmost side, the lenses with different thicknesses conveyed on the path of the discharging belt can be intercepted and are sequentially guided into the material distributing guide rail into the material distributing assembly, efficient material distributing is achieved, and the production efficiency is improved. And the structural design and the operation mode are simple, and the sheet arrangement accuracy is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lens manufacturing technology, and in particular to an automatic lens stacking device. Background Technology

[0002] In the lens processing industry, material arrangement is a crucial step. It involves placing finished or unprocessed lenses into designated containers or locations according to their size, thickness, and other parameters in a specific order and manner to facilitate subsequent processing, inspection, or packaging.

[0003] In the traditional lens processing industry, the lens arrangement process often relies on manual operation, which not only reduces production efficiency but also results in a relatively high error rate.

[0004] In response, based on current technological improvements, semi-automatic mechanical equipment has been adopted as an alternative, such as robotic arms equipped with suction cups and photoelectric sensors, to achieve positioning, grasping, and final arrangement of lenses flowing on the production line. However, the equipment cost under this operation will increase significantly. At the same time, the adjustment and switching of lens arrangement methods will also lead to a significant adjustment of the production line equipment workflow. For example, depending on whether the lenses are arranged horizontally or vertically, the control process of the robotic arm grasping process needs to be reprogrammed, as well as the position of the equipment on the production line needs to be adjusted, which has certain limitations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic lens stacking device to fundamentally solve the problems of high equipment cost and certain limitations in the use of current automatic lens stacking devices.

[0006] An automatic lens sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a support frame disposed at the bottom, a sorting assembly disposed at the top of the support frame for sorting lenses according to their thickness, and a plurality of sorting components disposed at the discharge end of the sorting assembly. The sorting assembly includes a conveyor belt for conveying lenses, a sorting belt disposed at an incline on one side of the conveyor belt, a plurality of sorting components disposed alternately on both sides of the sorting belt for sorting lenses, and a middle sorting guide rail disposed on the side of the sorting belt away from the conveyor belt. The sorting components include an intercepting part overlapping the top of the sorting belt for intercepting lenses, a sorting guide rail extending along the intercepting part away from the sorting belt, and a docking groove embedded in the side of the sorting guide rail away from the intercepting part for connecting the sorting components. The thickness of each intercepting part increases sequentially from left to right to intercept lenses of different thicknesses conveyed on the path of the sorting belt and sequentially guide them into the sorting guide rail into the sorting components.

[0007] Furthermore, the material discharge assembly includes a guide rail frame, a plurality of flip-plate assemblies movably disposed inside the guide rail frame, and a positioning assembly embedded in the guide rail frame on the side away from the material distribution assembly and used for positioning the flip-plate assemblies.

[0008] Furthermore, the guide rail frame includes at least two side baffles, a connecting portion disposed between the two side baffles and close to the material distribution assembly, a docking member disposed on the side of the side baffle close to the connecting portion for connecting the docking groove, a guide groove embedded between the side baffles for accommodating the flip plate assembly, and a locking button movably embedded on the side baffle away from the docking member for docking the positioning assembly.

[0009] Furthermore, the docking component includes a docking portion embedded in the docking groove, and a docking button movably embedded in the side baffle and used to control the docking portion to retract toward the inner wall of the docking groove.

[0010] Furthermore, the flip plate assembly includes a flip plate portion, a rotating shaft extending outward along both sides of the flip plate portion and embedded in the guide groove, a lens holder extending outward along the plate surface of the flip plate portion away from the rotating shaft for accommodating the lens, and an end guide plate extending outward along the side of the flip plate portion away from the lens holder. The flip plate portion has at least one positioning hole on the side near the positioning assembly.

[0011] Furthermore, a lower pad extends outward from the bottom right side of the flip-up section. The lower pad is used to lift the adjacent flip-up sections away from the pivot, so that the adjacent flip-up assemblies are arranged in a horizontally parallel manner.

[0012] Furthermore, the positioning component includes a locking block that fits the shape of the rightmost flap section, a locking bolt that passes through the positioning hole along the middle section of the locking block, and side spring buckles that are movably embedded on both sides of the locking block and are adapted to and locked with the locking button.

[0013] Furthermore, after the positioning component docks with the rightmost flip-plate component, the flip-plate components are arranged horizontally parallel on the guide rail frame. After the positioning component disengages from the flip-plate component, the rightmost flip-plate component begins to flip sequentially around the pivot axis and is arranged vertically on the guide rail frame.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the automatic lens sorting device in the above embodiments of the present invention uses four intercepting parts connected to the top of the sorting belt by the sorting component to intercept lenses of different thicknesses transported on the sorting belt path in sequence. For example, the thickness of the intercepting part near the leftmost side of the sorting belt increases sequentially from the rightmost side. This can intercept lenses of different thicknesses transported on the sorting belt path and guide them into the sorting guide rail in sequence, achieving efficient sorting. Through the sorting component, the lenses can be arranged vertically or horizontally according to the lens sorting position requirements to adapt to the subsequent lens processing and other process lines. The structural design and operation are simple, and the sorting accuracy is high. This solves the problems of high equipment cost and certain limitations in the use of current automatic lens sorting devices. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic lens sorting device in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of the material distribution assembly in the automatic lens sorting device of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of the material dispensing component in the automatic lens sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a partial structural diagram of the material feeding component in the automatic lens feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a partial structural diagram of the guide rail frame in the automatic lens stacking device of the present invention. Figure 6 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of section AA in the automatic lens sorting device of this embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 This is a partial structural diagram of the flip-plate assembly and positioning assembly in the automatic lens sorting device of this invention embodiment; Figure 8 This is a partial unfolded structural diagram of the flip-plate assembly and the positioning assembly in the automatic lens sorting device of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0017] The following detailed description of the embodiments will further illustrate the present invention in conjunction with the above-described accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

[0019] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0020] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0021] Please see Figures 1 to 8 The image shows an automatic lens sorting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It includes a support base 6 at the bottom, a sorting assembly at the top of the support base 6 for sorting lenses 7 according to their thickness, and multiple sorting components 5 at the outlet end of the sorting assembly. The sorting assembly includes a conveyor belt 1 for conveying lenses 7, a sorting belt 2 inclined on one side of the conveyor belt 1, multiple sorting components 3 staggered on both sides of the sorting belt 2 for sorting, and a middle sorting guide rail 4 on the side of the sorting belt 2 away from the conveyor belt 1. The sorting component 3 includes an intercepting part 31 overlapping the top of the sorting belt 2 for intercepting lenses 7, a sorting guide rail 32 extending along the intercepting part 31 away from the side of the sorting belt 2, and a docking groove 33 embedded in the side of the sorting guide rail 32 away from the intercepting part 31 for connecting the sorting components 5. The thickness of each intercepting part 31 increases sequentially from left to right to intercept lenses 7 of different thicknesses conveyed on the path of the sorting belt 2 and sequentially guide them into the sorting guide rail 32 into the sorting component 3.

[0022] Furthermore, the material discharge assembly 5 includes a guide rail 51 frame, a plurality of flip-plate assemblies 52 movably disposed inside the guide rail frame 51, and a positioning assembly 53 embedded in the side of the guide rail frame 51 away from the material distribution assembly 3 for positioning the flip-plate assemblies 52. The guide rail frame 51 includes at least two side baffles 511, a connecting portion 512 disposed between the two side baffles 511 and close to the material distribution assembly 3, a docking member disposed on the side baffle 511 near the connecting portion 512 for connecting the docking groove 33, and a flip-plate assembly embedded between the side baffles 511 for accommodating the flip-plate assemblies. The guide groove 515 of the 52 and the locking button 516 movably embedded in the side baffle 511 away from the docking member and used for docking positioning assembly 53, the docking member includes a docking part 513 embedded in the docking groove 33 and a docking button 514 movably embedded in the side baffle 511 and used to control the docking part 513 to retract toward the inner wall of the docking groove 33, the flip plate assembly 52 includes a flip plate part 521, a rotating shaft 522 extending outward from both sides of the flip plate part 521 and embedded in the guide groove 515, and a plate surface on the side of the flip plate part 521 away from the rotating shaft 522. A lens holder 524 for accommodating the lens 7 extends outward, and an end guide plate 526 extends outward from the side of the flip plate portion 521 away from the lens holder 524. The flip plate portion 521 has at least one positioning hole 525 near the positioning assembly 53. A lower pad 523 extends outward from the bottom right side of the flip plate portion 521. The lower pad 523 supports the adjacent flip plate portions 521 on the side away from the pivot 522, so that the adjacent flip plate assemblies 52 are arranged laterally in parallel. The positioning assembly 53 includes the rightmost flip plate portion 521. The locking block 531 fits the shape, the locking bolt 532 passes through the middle section of the locking block 531 to the positioning hole 525, and the side spring buckle 533 is movably embedded on both sides of the locking block 531 and is matched and locked with the locking button 516. After the positioning component 53 is connected to the rightmost flip plate component 52, the flip plate component 52 is arranged horizontally parallel on the guide rail frame 51. After the positioning component 53 is disconnected from the flip plate component 52, the rightmost flip plate component 52 starts to flip around the pivot 522 and is arranged vertically on the guide rail frame 51.

[0023] It should be noted that in some optional embodiments of the present invention, at least one controller is provided at any convenient location for the operator to operate on the automatic lens stacking device. The controller can be an MCU (Microcontroller Unit) chip to control the entire automatic lens stacking device through the MCU chip. The controller and the automatic lens stacking device are electrically connected, and the electrical connection includes wired connection and wireless connection. The wireless connection method includes, but is not limited to, Bluetooth connection, WiFi, IF radio frequency, and Zigbee connection. The wired connection method includes, but is not limited to, the network communication line connecting the automatic lens stacking device and the controller. In addition, to ensure the smooth transmission of the subsequent lens 7 dispensing process, a vibration motor electrically connected to the controller can be provided at the bottom of each dispensing component 3 and the dispensing component 5 to realize the vibration feeding operation of the lens 7.

[0024] In specific implementation, firstly, the operator can control the start of conveyor belt 1 through the controller. It should be noted that conveyor belt 1 and discharge belt 2 share the same conveyor belt. Then, the lenses 7 to be processed are placed flat on conveyor belt 1. In some optional embodiments of the present invention, conveyor belt 1 can also serve as the main conveyor line for other lens processing production lines. That is, lenses 7 processed by other production lines can be connected to conveyor belt 1 through branch conveyor belts to wait for the arrangement operation. For the specific implementation of the arrangement operation, after the lenses 7 are conveyed to discharge belt 2 through conveyor belt 1, they can be intercepted in sequence by four intercepting parts 31 overlapping the top of discharge belt 2. Specifically, interception is carried out by intercepting parts 31 of different thicknesses. For example, the thickness of the intercepting part 31 near the leftmost side of discharge belt 2 increases sequentially from the rightmost side. It can be understood that the different thicknesses of lenses 7 transported on the path of discharge belt 2 are intercepted. In addition, in some optional embodiments of the present invention, the material distribution component 3 and the two sides of discharge belt 2 can be detachably connected. The operator can replace and adjust the material distribution component 3 according to the different thicknesses and models of lenses 7 in the production line to adapt to the diversity in the production line.

[0025] Next, the lenses 7 intercepted by the interception part 31 can be conducted along its inclined slope towards the dispensing guide rail 32, and then guided into the discharge assembly 5 along the dispensing guide rail 32 to achieve the initial arrangement of lenses 7 of different thicknesses. Based on this, the operator can set up receiving structures, such as cylinders or square frames adapted to the outer diameter of the lenses 7, at the discharge end of the dispensing guide rail 32 to regulate and organize the lenses 7 after dispensing. In this application, a discharge assembly 5 similar to a square frame is used. As for the specific implementation of the discharge assembly 5, the operator can select guide rail frames 51 of different lengths according to the required number of lenses to be arranged. It should be noted that the length of the guide rail frame 51 also depends on the number of internal flip-plate assemblies 52 that can be accommodated, and the number of flip-plate assemblies 52 also corresponds to the number of lenses 7 that can be accommodated. After measuring, the docking part 513 on the guide rail frame 51 is inserted into the docking groove 33. During the process, the spring buckles on both sides of the docking part 513 can engage with the slots inside the docking groove 33 after entering it (slot diagram not shown). For disassembly, only the docking button 514 needs to be pressed. The docking button 514 is fixedly connected to the spring buckle on the docking part 513. The driving method is lever linkage. By pressing down the docking button 514, the spring buckle is retracted, so as to realize the quick assembly and disassembly of the guide rail frame 51 and the material distribution component 3. Afterwards, the operator can push the flip plate component 52 into the guide groove 515 in sequence according to the current length of the guide rail frame 51. Specifically, the operator inserts the rotating shaft 522 into the guide groove 515 and pushes it towards the connecting part 5 in sequence. 12. Push the flap assembly 52 from one side, and after it reaches the end of the guide groove 515, flip the flap part 521 so that it is parallel to the bottom of the guide frame 51. Then, push the remaining flap assemblies 52 into the guide groove 515 in sequence. Flip the rear flap assembly 52 at the adjacent flipped front flap assembly 52, so that it is also parallel to the bottom of the guide frame 51. Ensure that the lower pad 523 of the rear flap assembly 52 after flipping is supported by the rear end of the front flap assembly 52. ​​Perform the corresponding operations in sequence so that the adjacent flap assemblies 52 are all parallel to the bottom of the guide frame 51. Finally, insert the positioning assembly 53 on the rightmost side of the guide frame 51, that is, the entrance side of the guide groove 515, to lock it in place. Understandably, the flap assembly 52 is lifted sequentially from left to right, and the rightmost flap assembly 52 is locked, thus achieving the locking operation of the entire flap assembly 52 in a parallel position at the bottom of the guide rail frame 51. Specifically, the operator can insert the locking block 531 along the guide groove 515, and make the side spring buckle 533 pop out at the locking button 516 to complete the locking operation. During subsequent disassembly, the operator only needs to press the locking button 516 to push the side spring buckle 533 into the locking block 531 to achieve the disassembly operation. Then, the operator can rotate the locking bolt 532 on the locking block 531 clockwise so that the locking bolt 532 passes through the locking block 531 into the positioning hole 525. The locking bolt 532 and the positioning hole 525 can be screwed together.

[0026] Next, the operator controls the vibration motor at the bottom of the dispensing assembly 3 via the controller to vibrate and unload the lenses. During this process, the lenses 7 are guided upwards by the end guide plate 526 and fall into the lens holder 524. Subsequently, other lenses 7 slide down along the surface of the front lens 7 into the lens holder 524 in the empty flip-plate assembly 52 behind, and slide in a stacked manner until they cover the entire flip-plate assembly 52, at which point the unloading operation stops. In some optional embodiments, an infrared sensor connected to the controller can also be installed on the rightmost flip-plate assembly 52. ​​This sensor is triggered after all the lenses 7 have been filled, and the unloading operation is stopped by the controller. An infrared counter is added at the discharge port of the material distribution guide rail 32. The number of the counter corresponds to the number of flip-plate components 52 on the guide rail frame 51. The transmission stops after the number of lenses 7 passing through meets the threshold. It should be noted that, in order to improve the protection of the lenses 7 during the transmission process, the surfaces of the material distribution component 3 and the discharge component 5 can be coated with rubber to achieve flexible contact of the lenses 7 during the transmission process and to have a certain amount of friction with the lenses 7. This is beneficial for subsequent material unloading control and avoids damage to the lenses 7 caused by traditional hard contact, as well as situations where the lens 7 slides down too fast due to low friction during the downward transmission process, resulting in uncontrollable material unloading.

[0027] Finally, after each flip assembly 52 is filled with lenses 7, the operator can adjust the flip assembly 52 according to the lens arrangement requirements, such as vertical or horizontal arrangement of lenses 7. Specifically, when it is necessary to maintain the horizontal arrangement of lenses 7, the operator only needs to press down the locking button 516 to disengage the positioning component 53 from the guide rail frame 51, and pull the positioning component 53 to pull the flip assembly 52 out into the guide groove 515. It should be noted that the lower pad 523 on the flip assembly 52 is circular, and the adjacent flip assemblies 52 are circular. The buckle-and-lift mechanism allows the flip-plate assembly 52 to be removed along with the positioning component 53 when it is pulled laterally. When the lenses 7 need to be arranged vertically, the operator only needs to unscrew the locking bolt 523 counterclockwise. After the rightmost flip-plate assembly 52 is released from the right limit, it can be flipped toward the side where it is released from the limit. The rightmost flip-plate assembly 52 will then be released from the lower pad 523 limit and flipped, so that the flip-plate assembly 52 drives the lenses 7 to be arranged vertically with the guide rail frame 51. The purpose of adjusting the state of the flip-plate assembly 52 is to adapt to the subsequent processing of the lenses 7 and other production line transfers.

[0028] In summary, the automatic lens sorting device in the above embodiments of the present invention uses four intercepting parts 31 connected to the top of the sorting belt 2 by the sorting component 3 to intercept lenses 7 of different thicknesses transported on the path of the sorting belt 2 in sequence. For example, the thickness of the intercepting part 31 near the leftmost side of the sorting belt 2 increases sequentially from the rightmost side. This allows for the interception of lenses 7 of different thicknesses transported on the path of the sorting belt 2 and sequentially guides them into the sorting guide rail 32 into the sorting component 3, achieving efficient sorting. Through the sorting component 5, the lenses 7 can be arranged vertically or horizontally according to the sorting position requirements of the lenses 7, so as to adapt to the subsequent processing of other production lines of the lenses 7. The structural design and operation method are simple, and the sorting accuracy is high. This solves the problems of high equipment cost and certain limitations in the use of current automatic lens sorting devices.

[0029] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0030] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic lens stacking device, characterized in that, It includes a support base frame at the bottom, a material distribution assembly at the top of the support base frame for distributing materials according to the thickness of the lens, and multiple material discharge components at the discharge end of the material distribution assembly; The material distribution assembly includes a conveyor belt for conveying lenses, a discharge belt inclined on one side of the conveyor belt, a multi-component material distribution assembly interleaved on both sides of the discharge belt for material distribution, and a middle section material distribution guide rail disposed on the side of the discharge belt away from the conveyor belt. The material distribution assembly includes an intercepting part that overlaps the top of the discharge belt for intercepting lenses, a material distribution guide rail that extends along the intercepting part toward the side away from the discharge belt, and a docking groove that is embedded in the material distribution guide rail away from the intercepting part for connecting the material distribution assembly. The thickness of each intercepting section increases sequentially from left to right, so as to intercept lenses of different thicknesses conveyed on the discharge belt path and guide them sequentially into the discharge assembly via the material distribution guide rail.

2. The automatic lens stacking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material discharge assembly includes a guide rail frame, a plurality of flip-plate assemblies movably disposed inside the guide rail frame, and a positioning assembly embedded in the guide rail frame on the side away from the material distribution assembly and used for positioning the flip-plate assemblies.

3. The automatic lens stacking device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide rail frame includes at least two side baffles, a connecting part disposed between the two side baffles and close to the material distribution assembly, a docking member disposed on the side of the side baffle close to the connecting part for connecting the docking groove, a guide groove embedded between the side baffles for accommodating the flip plate assembly, and a locking button movably embedded on the side of the side baffle away from the docking member for docking the positioning assembly.

4. The automatic lens stacking device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The docking component includes a docking portion embedded in the docking groove, and a docking button movably embedded in the side baffle and used to control the docking component to retract toward the inner wall of the docking groove.

5. The automatic lens stacking device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The flip plate assembly includes a flip plate portion, a rotating shaft extending outward from both sides of the flip plate portion and embedded in the guide groove, a lens holder extending outward from the plate surface of the flip plate portion away from the rotating shaft for accommodating the lens, and an end guide plate extending outward from the flip plate portion away from the lens holder. The flip plate portion has at least one positioning hole on the side near the positioning assembly.

6. The automatic lens stacking device according to claim 5, characterized in that, A lower pad extends outward from the bottom right side of the flip-up section. The lower pad is used to lift the adjacent flip-up sections away from the pivot, so that the adjacent flip-up assemblies are arranged horizontally in parallel.

7. The automatic lens stacking device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The positioning component includes a locking block that fits the shape of the rightmost flap section, a locking bolt that passes through the positioning hole along the middle section of the locking block, and side spring buckles that are movably embedded on both sides of the locking block and are adapted to and locked with the locking button.

8. The automatic lens stacking device according to claim 7, characterized in that, After the positioning component docks with the rightmost flip-plate component, the flip-plate components are arranged horizontally parallel on the guide rail. After the positioning component disengages from the flip-plate component, the rightmost flip-plate components begin to rotate sequentially around the pivot axis and are arranged vertically on the guide rail.

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